Two Worlds Collide
by Melancholy Soundtrack
Summary: Two different nations. Two separate souls. They were brought together by hate and rage, but somehow something beautiful bloomed. Sometimes, what you need is right in front of you, shrouded by nothing but your differences. Zutara/ Post- War/ One Shot


******Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own any part of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do not own nor claim to own the song "Two Worlds Collide" by Demi Lovato. All rights are reserved for their original owners******

Two Worlds Collide

_She was given the world  
>So much that she couldn't see<br>And she needed someone  
>To show her who she could be<em>

_There had to be a reason, _a young, beautiful, and slightly anxious waterbender told herself in the confines of her own mind, _but what if we just intercepted what the Fates wanted in the future; what if we just destroyed everybody's destiny? _

Clammy palms encircled one another, trembling in fear of the unknown. Katara's sapphire eyes shined with unshed tears, tears she was planning on withholding; she didn't want him to come back and find her unraveling at her very core. She was stronger than that; she survived the war didn't she?

Taking a shuddering breath, she attempted to relax, reflecting instead on how she had ended up where she was, the past that helped mold the person that she was today.

After the war, Aang and Katara found that they would probably be better suited simply as friends. The break- up was quick, and painless; it actually surprised the waterbender just how easy it was to break things off with him. He _had _said he was in love with her.

Since she was an ambassador for her tribe, her father resuming his role as chief with Sokka following in his footsteps, she was given the opportunity to travel to the places of the world that the Gaang hadn't been able to visit or hadn't been able to a stay an extended period of time in. She visited the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation regularly, which was exactly how she ended up falling in love with the most surprising person… Zuko.

_And she tried to survive_  
><em>Wearing her heart on her sleeve<em>  
><em>But I needed you to believe<em>

The interaction had, at first, been strictly professional with occasional friendly occurrences. Still, although all faults had been forgiven, they didn't consider themselves the closet of friends.

Then, somehow, Katara's visitations became even more frequent, and then from there merging from frequent to permanent. They laughed together and joked together, talked about their most intimate memories, and trusted each other more than they had ever trusted anyone else before.

Katara smiled, remembering the early stages of beginning to understand her feelings. It had begun as a mindless crush, a simple manifestation of something that would evolve into something even more beautiful.

_You had your dreams, I had mine_  
><em>You had your fears, I was fine<em>  
><em>It showed me what I couldn't find<em>  
><em>When two different worlds collide<em>  
><em>La da-da da-da!<em>

One morning, while the two sparred, Katara realized just how attractive Zuko had become. His hair was the same length that it was when they began traveling together; he still pulled it into that awful topknot for his meetings, and the occasional pony- tail, which was how he had styled it for their spar; Katara absolutely abhorred this hairstyle, and took it upon herself to tell him about it. She never saw him with his hair pulled into a pony- tail again.

After _many_ uncomfortable situations that usually rendered one of them, if not both, with cherry red cheeks, the two of them finally realized just how deep their feelings for each other ran.

The first admittance was purely by accident. Zuko and Katara had been sitting in his office, mulling over stacks of their individual obligations to their countries and the world. While the Fire Lord had become so engrossed in a particularly time- consuming section of the Northern Water Tribe's restoration bills, Katara had popped a question that had been on her mind for a few days now.

"Why haven't you proposed to Mai yet, Zuko?" she asked, not a wink of the jealousy she felt inside her because of the other girl ringing in her voice.

Zuko had answered apparently without thinking, his eyes still following the endless strings of numbers across the page, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head at the amount of money these people were practically demanding of him, "I don't love her."

_She was scared of it all_  
><em>Watching from far away<em>  
><em>And she was given a role<em>  
><em>Never knew just when to play<em>

Katara had froze, the remnants of what she had been working on falling from her hands and to the floor. It had taken a moment for Zuko to comprehend what he had just said, but once he did, he swore violently, and ran a hand across his face, as if he was trying to wake up from a bad dream.

"You don't?" Katara asked in a small voice, trying to withhold the hope she felt swelling inside her. He had stared at her, attempting to see into her, find the answer to some unspoken question.

Carefully and quietly, he answered, his voice a mere whisper, "No," The burning in his eyes gave his emotions away. Katara felt her heart bulge, full of happiness, to its full capacity.

Katara let out a shaky breath and smiled, "Good,"

He had, clumsily, come around the desk and kissed her, his mouth hot against hers. Katara felt tears of relief and joy spill across her cheeks. The man she loved kissed them away.

_And she tried to survive_  
><em>Living her life on her own<em>  
><em>Always afraid of the throne<em>  
><em>But you've given me strength to find hope!<em>

Even as she thought of that day now, Katara had tears in her eyes, remembering how right she had felt in his arms, as if the two of them had been molded together, their shapes complementing the other. She had felt like she was _home. _

A slight _whosh _of a door opening alerted Katara to the arrival of her betrothed. She tried to banish the thoughts that they were making a huge mistake, tried to focus on the happiness, the joy she felt when she was with him, but the action proved difficult.

Zuko smiled brightly when he saw her, adorned in her traditional Water Tribe blues; she smiled back, wondering if the fear she felt shone on her face. Apparently it did.

_You had your dreams, I had mine_  
><em>You had your fears, I was fine<em>  
><em>It showed me what I couldn't find<em>  
><em>When two different worlds collide<em>

His smile wavered a moment before falling off his lips. He gave a sigh and came to kneel in front of her, his hands taking hers. He didn't say anything at first, merely stared at her fingers, giving each a kiss before he finally looked up towards her face. A few of her traitor tears had leaked out of the mental dam she had created.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, tracing circles with the pad of his thumb across the top of her hand. He let one of her hands go, and took one captive between his large palms, calloused and rough. The heat exerted from him made her want to shiver with desire. His lips brushed across her heated flesh, soft lips traveling across the lines and planes of her fingers, her palms; this time she _did _shiver.

"I'm scared," she answered, fighting the tears with all of her might, closing her eyes in desperation.

_She was scared, unprepared_  
><em>And lost in the dark, falling apart<em>  
><em>I can survive with you by my side<em>  
><em>We're gonna be alright<em>  
><em>(We're gonna be alright)<em>  
><em>This is what happens when two worlds collide<em>

A moment passed, and then another, and then another. She was so frightened that he had become angry with her that she was terrified to open her eyes; she hated upsetting him. But, when her vision become clear once more, not sheathed with a black veil, she saw his grin, and look of amusement in his eyes. She glared.

"What? You think this is funny? Aren't you terrified of my dad? And Sokka? They're waiting to rip your head off out there, and you're _laughing _at me!"

He tried to stifle his grin, to no avail. Shaking his head, he finally sighed and pushed himself up to her side on the velvet ottoman, taking her face in his hands.

"Katara," he breathed against her skin. His voice was so warm and inviting that she wanted to throw herself into his arms, "look at me."

_You had your dreams, I had mine_  
><em>You had your fears, I was fine<em>  
><em>It showed me what I couldn't find<em>  
><em>When two different worlds collide<em>  
><em>La da-da da-da!<em>

She did. His eyes were burning bright with a passion that she had never seen before.

"I am so in love with you that I would do anything to be able to marry you. Although I want their approval, if you would have me, I'd marry you anyway."

And that look in his eyes, and his declaration, so passionate and meaningful, was what caused her to cry, to lean into him and kiss him roughly, fervently, while declaring that she would love him until the end of time.

For in that moment, Katara realized that there was no way they could be making a mistake; this was exactly where the Spirits wanted the two of them… _together. _

At that moment, from up above, the Spirits' angelic voices rang out simultaneously, "_Finally!" _

_You had your dreams, I had mine  
>(You had your dreams, I had mine)<br>You had your fears, I was fine  
>It showed me what I couldn't find<br>When two different worlds collide  
>When two different worlds collide<em>

****** Hey guys! It has been a while since I submitted a one-shot, so I hope you enjoyed this! I wrote it several months back and forgot that I had it. Just a mushy, short Zutara. :) Gotta love it. SO give me your feedback; tell me me what you liked, you didn't like, and what you want to see more of. Loosely based off the song "Two Worlds Collide" by Demi Lovato. The song was my inspiration for this piece, but it sorta spiraled off course and became something completely new. **

**Thanks guys! **

**~Moonlit- Silhouette **


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